Asian Americans in College Admissions: Plaintiffs or Pawns?
Asian American students at Harvard are fighting to preserve race-conscious admissions
“The primary victims” of race-conscious admissions “are now Asian Americans,” claims the Students for Fair Admissions in a supplemental brief filed to the Supreme Court in December asking the high court to ban colleges that consider applicants’ race from receiving federal funding. However, a growing number of Asian American students at Harvard are spearheading efforts […]
New Building, Same Burrito
The new and more spacious El Jefe’s seeks to ameliorate the raucous 2 AM burrito lines.
It’s 2 AM on a Saturday night. Harvard students are packed into El Jefe’s Taqueria, shouting out to friends further in line in hopes of purchasing their favorite bean and cheese burrito a few minutes faster. The tables and chairs are pushed into the corner of the restaurant in a failed attempt to create enough […]
Athlete, Interrupted
Student-athletes suffering from long Covid-19 have been forced to consider quitting the sports they love.
The whir of erg wheels drowned out my coughing and my teammates cheering behind me. My vision went in and out as I struggled to maintain an average split I easily held just a month ago. Slower than ever, I completed my 5k, collapsing into a coughing fit and clutching my chest. Between gasps, I […]
The Classes You Need To Take Before You Graduate 2.0
AFVS 70: The Art of Film, taught by Laura Frahm “The Art of Film was a highlight of my freshman experience. The class is structured around Tuesday night screenings in the historic Carpenter Center where I was introduced to some of my favorite films. Bi-weekly lectures walk students through different cinematic movements, supplying the brilliant […]
The Pursuit of the Presidential Successor
The Harvard community has high expectations for Bacow’s replacement.
Since Harvard University President Lawrence S. Bacow announced his decision to step down from his five-year post next June, community members have advocated for a leader that will not only maintain Harvard’s role as a global leader, but also ignite change on campus. President Bacow’s announcement accompanied the official departure of three other University board […]
Seven First-Years You Need to Meet
Boasting education activists, acclaimed artists, and Air Force veterans, the Class of 2026 is more interesting than ever.
On August 25th, 1,950 first-years began to burst through Johnston Gate. They represent a record-low number of admitted students—3.13 percent of all applicants—featuring record-high numbers of women, Asian Americans, and first-generation college students. After facing a series of disruptions to the college application process, including Harvard’s decision to make standardized test scores optional, “the Class […]
New Year, New Study Spots 
An incomplete guide to the best and worst places to work for each assignment type
New year. New classes. New study spots. Whether you’re a first-year searching for a quiet corner on campus to make your own, or a super-senior looking to shake things up, explore the most iconic, forgotten, and depressing places to work on campus. MOST SOCIAL: Cabot second floor No other study spot treads the line between […]
Out with The Old, In with The New
“Say yes to everything,” advises the Class of 2022 to the Class of 2026.
On Thursday, May 26th at 6:45 AM, the Class of 2022 flooded through the formidable gates of Harvard Yard and entered the packed Tercentenary Theater for one last time as undergraduates. The atmosphere was frenetic as Harvard University President Lawrence S. Bacow commemorated each student for earning their undergraduate degrees. Under crimson flags bearing crests […]
Harvard After Roe: Untouchable, or Not Quite?
With Roe overturned, there is a growing divide in abortion access nationwide. But legal and healthcare professionals have a message: no one should take their rights for granted.
In February 1981, a senior living in Lowell House walked into the university’s infirmary holding a positive pregnancy test. She had been having protected sex with a long-term boyfriend, but her contraceptive pills had failed. “I remember being totally freaked out,” said the alumna, who wished to remain anonymous. She was not ready to have […]
Overflow(ing) Housing
Harvard’s temporary solution to student housing looks increasingly permanent.
The housing process is a hallmark of the Harvard experience, connecting students to a new community that will remain constant for three years. But many sophomores are now getting shuffled into side buildings with separate communities, forced into the college’s ever-growing overflow housing. To accommodate the large number of students in the Class of 2026, […]
Reporting in the Real World
Clean copy, clear questions, and conviction: lessons from my summer immersion in journalism
“What’s your headline?” a voice asked me from a rectangular Zoom window during a 10 AM editorial meeting for a daily New York City newspaper. I had only prepared a pitch—how the overturning of Roe v. Wade would impact college students’ abortion access—not a headline. Our meetings didn’t run that way at the Harvard Independent. […]